I have seen a few posts asking this question and everything seems to be about self-contained vs hydraulics in the boat. I'm curious if they get in the way when not in use(or even when in use for the Talon). I want the guy in the back of my boat to be comfortable, and I'm not sure I would be comfortable if it was me trying to side cast over a power pole or talon sticking a couple feet up beyond the top of the motor. I also would rather have self-contained over adding hydraulics to my already full battery box, but I get 20% off through a power-pole collegiate angler program. Therefore I am really unsure of which way to go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by FXfromTx (12/31/1604:48 PM)

_________________________ "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad."West Texas A&M University Bass Club President

The talon or whatever being back there isn't much different than the console or seat on the other side. So if you get one put it on the passenger side of the motor and you can still go down the bank with the driver side facing the shore and they can still cast. That is if they are right handed

I have a pair of 8' Talons. I have never had anyone complain about them being in the way but I am certain they have gotten in the way. I have fished in back of boats with PP and they got in the way but the easy fix is to deploy them. Can't do that with Talons. Talons will definitely affect guy in back if your c-rigging or cranking when you use a sweeping hook set. They both have + and - it is just up to you to decide what fits you.

I missed an important fish in the bassmaster open at the red river this year because of talons being in the way. I was crammed up in a tree and had about 2 to 3 ft to set the hook and the fish ended up coming off at the boat. If the talon wasn't there I could have swung back up over the motor.

Buy an ultrex. I have the talons and loved them. Put fish in the boat every time i went out. Now the only time I use them is launching the boat. In fact took one off. I will decide if i keep them after the spring but I bet they are history. The ultrex rocks.

_________________________
If you're not happy naked you won't be happy with clothes on. Don

Buy an ultrex. I have the talons and loved them. Put fish in the boat every time i went out. Now the only time I use them is launching the boat. In fact took one off. I will decide if i keep them after the spring but I bet they are history. The ultrex rocks.

This will make me rethink everything now. I was thinking about pp/talon but was not really sure if that was what I wanted. Maybe the Ultrex would be a better option to consider.

I fished with a guy for a few days that had both the Ulterra and 12' Talons. We used both quite often. The Ulterra will drift quite a bit (10 feet roughly) before making corrections and is noisy compared to the Talons or Power Poles in shallow water. It was nice holding a point in deeper water with the Ulterra too. If budget is a concern and had to pick 1 I would go with the Talon or Power Pole (personal preference), we used it more than the spot lock. But both combined are awesome!